


No More Secrets

by himynameisv



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur's just trying to keep it together, Gen, I have no idea what I'm doing with these tags, Kilgharrah Is Not A Horse, Merlin's terrible at keeping his magic a secret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/himynameisv/pseuds/himynameisv
Summary: Arthur pretended he hadn't seen that. Or that. Probably that, too.Originally posted on fanfiction.net.
Relationships: Kilgharrah & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), tentative Arthur & Kilgharrah
Kudos: 67





	No More Secrets

Arthur would like to think that he was a very observant person. He would also like to think that the people thought so, too.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Merlin wasn't like all people.

Well, the idiot had already made that abundantly clear with talks of his "huge, prattish head," but still. It was hard not to be offended when he would do magic in front of the prince of the most magic-hating kingdom.

Seriously. Did he think Arthur wouldn't notice? How oblivious did he think Arthur was?

Actually, no. Nope. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer to that.

Believe it or not, the falling tree branches, the hastily dropped swords, and the tripping and falling and _flying_ bandits weren't mere coincidences. All those occurrences would have one thing in common: Merlin. Always in the background, hiding behind trees and sticking his hand out and letting his eyes burn gold. Always. (Arthur pretended not to be touched by the loyalty of his servant.)

Merlin was quite lucky he hadn't been executed by now, though Arthur had no idea how (perhaps being accused of sorcery _and_ admitting to it in front of a group of nobles, including the King of Camelot, without being punished would do that to you).

And though Arthur had been raised to hate magic and believe that it corrupted the soul, he did have enough logic to do research and [discreetly] ask Gaius about the matter. He eventually concluded that magic was a weapon. Whether it was good or evil was based on the user, and Arthur doubted Merlin could have an evil bone in his body.

So he just waited.

He knew Merlin would panic, and he knew that Merlin wasn't ready to tell Arthur his most closely-guarded secret. Arthur accepted that.

And so he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

It had been _years_ since Arthur had found out, and Merlin hadn't even _tried_ to tell him about his magic! (Arthur pretended not to be offended by that.)

So when the two of them were abducted by bandits on a hunting trip ("we know people who would pay lots for the Prince of Camelot" blah blah blah), Arthur's just done. He sighed, glancing at Merlin, who was chained beside him in their shared cell. Merlin was surreptitiously glancing at him out of the corner of his eye with worry and concern on his face, as if he was contemplating how to use magic without Arthur noticing.

"Use your magic."

Merlin abruptly turned his head towards him. His eyes blinked. Once. Twice. And then they blazed gold.

They got out fairly quickly and easily, courtesy of Arthur's superior sword fighting skills. (Merlin and his magic didn't help _at all_.)

After escaping, they made camp about a half day's ride from Camelot. They probably could've made the trip in time for sundown, but Arthur wanted this time to speak to Merlin without all the hustle and bustle of Camelot. Merlin, on the other hand, didn't look like he'd be speaking at all. He kept avoiding Arthur's gaze with that sad, miserable, kicked-puppy look.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to kill you, _Mer_ lin."

He laughs nervously. "Are you absolutely sure about that, Sire?" _Oh, back to the 'Sire' game, is it?_

"Yes, I am."

"Why? I'm a sorcerer. In Camelot. The law dictates that I should be executed." Merlin wringed his hands in agitation.

"Laws can be wrong."

A moment of silence. "So I'm not going to...burn on a pyre?"

Arthur winced at the mental image that created. " _No_. Honestly, what kind of a prince would I be if I executed an innocent person?"

"Still a prattish one."

Arthur kicked Merlin's leg, hiding his smile under a guise of annoyance.

"How long have you known? About my magic?" Merlin asked tentatively, but with a hint of his impish grin on his face.

"Four years."

"FOUR YEARS?" Merlin exploded, jumping up.

"Yes, four years. Do we need to get your hearing checked in addition to your brain?"

"And you didn't even think to tell me that you knew! Would've made things a lot easier!"

"Well, I was waiting for _you_ to tell _me_ , but you never did, you clotpole!"

"That's my word," Merlin grumbled.

"You deserve it," Arthur said, but his smile had broken through, and he clasped Merlin's shoulder in...affection? "Just no more possibly life-threatening secrets, okay?"

Merlin looked like the weight of the world had been pushed off his shoulders. "Okay."

* * *

Sometime later, he and Merlin were out in the woods. _Again_. The only problem was that they had to get back to Camelot to prepare for Morgana's attack.

The only other problem was that they were at least a week's ride away, and Morgana would probably get to Camelot by tomorrow.

"I have an idea."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Is it a good idea?"

Merlin winced. "Maybe." And then he screamed. Arthur pretended not to have jumped back about 10 feet at the sound.

"What the hell was that?!" He questioned-screamed after getting over his shock.

Merlin hesitantly shrugged, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but there. "It was a dragon's call."

"And what the hell is a dragon's call?"

"It's something a dragonlord uses to call his kin," Merlin replied sheepishly.

"You're a dragonlord?!"

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you'd freak out!"

"I thought we agreed to having no more secrets!"

"Well, _I'm sorry_ , I'm kinda helping us out here so your kingdom doesn't get run over by a magical army!"

Arthur sighed, rubbing his forehead with a weary hand. Then something struck him. "You idiot! How's that going to help us if all the dragons are dead!"

Merlin coughed. "Well...about that-" Arthur looked up at the sound of flapping wings.

"Merlin, you didn't," he murmured, eyes widening at the sight.

"Surprise?"

"You know how we had that long talk a while back? About Emrys and destiny and being a sorcerer-"

"Warlock."

"Whatever. I thought you had told me everything!"

"Yeah. Sorry. It just...slipped my mind."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "A pair of socks is something that slips your mind. A chore is something that slips your mind, and it happens quite a bit with you. But a _dragon_. The bloody Great Dragon is _not_ something that simply slips your mind!"

"Why, young king, I am not at all covered in blood," the dragon interjected, having landed on the ground already. Arthur wasn't sure if it actually meant what it said, or if it was just trying to get under Arthur's skin.

Also, the dragon could apparently talk.

Merlin had the audacity to _smile_ , ignoring everything Arthur had just said. "Kilgharrah! It's been a while!" He spread his arms out like he was greeting an old friend and going in for a hug. Though how you could hug a great freaking dragon, Arthur had no idea. He began speaking rapidly to the dragon (whose name was apparently Kilgharrah) in the way that Merlin did when he was nervous or asking for a favor...or both.

It took Arthur an embarrassingly long while to figure out why.

"Oh, no. No no nonononono," Arthur said.

Apparently, the dragon agreed. "Young Warlock, I am _not_ a horse you can simply ride around to get to and fro." It - he - seemed quite offended by the idea.

"But Kilgharrah," Merlin whined, "Morgana's going to attack Camelot tomorrow! How else are we to get back in time!"

And, _apparently_ , the dragon couldn't resist Merlin's puppy-dog eyes either. "Fine," it grumbled.

"Yay! Thanks Kilgharrah!" Merlin turned to grin at Arthur and started climbing onto the dragon's back.

Arthur's eyes widened. "You're not serious."

Merlin frowned down at him, as if he couldn't fathom why Arthur was hesitant (read: completely against) taking a dragon on a joyride. "When have I not been serious?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"I know this isn't up to your prattish standards of travel, but we're running out of options here. So you either climb up, or I'm gonna have to knock you out." Kilgharrah nodded fervently in impatience, as if to prove Merlin's point.

Arthur did not doubt Merlin's ability of giving him a concussion. He looked up at the dragon, then down at the ground, then up again.

He began climbing.

"If we die, I'm going to _kill_ you, Merlin!"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Shut up."

"Yes, sire."

Without warning, Kilgharrah swooped into the sky at an agonizing speed.

"MERLIN!"


End file.
